A New Beginning
by ThePoeticPiplup
Summary: Several months after Ash leaves Alola, Kukui and Burnet welcome a new child into their lives. Their newborn son.


**Hey everyone! I'm back with another oneshot! This is a follow-up to my previous story As a Father. I included a lot more of my personal backstories in this than the last, and I look forward to further developing them in the future. **

**I had so much fun writing this! I hope you enjoy!**

* * *

Kukui stared in awe as the nurse gently placed the tiny black-haired, bundle of blankets in his wife's arms. The last fourteen hours had been a whirlwind of activity and emotions, but it had all been worth it. Their first child was finally here.

Once the baby was comfortably cradled in his mother arms, the nurse quietly excited the room, leaving the new family alone for the first time. Burnet cuddled the bundle close to her, a tired, yet gentle smile illuminating her features as she looked down at the sleeping baby. "Oh, Honey," she breathed out, tears of joy glistening in her eyes. "He's beautiful."

"He is," Kukui agreed with a nod, tears welling up in his own eyes as he gazed at his son's face for the first time. The baby was fast asleep, his tiny eyelids fluttering as he dreamed. "He's absolutely perfect, just like his mother." Burnet giggled and rolled her eyes as Kukui moved his chair closer to the bed.

"Don't go getting all sappy on me now. "Besides, he looks more like you than me. He's got your hair." Burnet said, twirling a finger through the infant's wispy hair.

"I'm not being sappy. I mean every word." He wrapped an arm around her shoulders, pulling her closer and kissing the top of her head. "I'm so proud of you." Burnet leaned into his embrace, resting her head on his shoulder, cuddling up against him. The baby yawned and his eyes sleepily blinked open for the first time, finally revealing their color. Kukui smiled.

"He's got your eyes, Amber."

"So he does," Burnet replied. "But other than that, he's the spitting image of his handsome daddy."

"Who's the sappy one now? Kukui asked with a chuckle. Her only response was a quick kiss on his cheek before a whimper from the baby brought the parents' attention back to their child. Burmet bounced him gently in her arms and he drifted off once again.

"Do you want to hold him?" Burnet asked. Kukui felt his heart begin to race. He'd never held a baby before. What if he dropped him or held him the wrong way?

"I don't know, he looks pretty comfortable with you," Kukui answered nervously after a moment of hesitation. "I wouldn't want to wake him, and you did all the hard work."

"You're his father, Makoa. It's important for him to bond with you as well."

"I know." Kukui sighed. "He's just so small..." Sensing Kukui's unease, Burnet took his hand and gave it a gentle squeeze before carefully transferring the baby to her husband.

"He's not going to break. Just support his head," she said calmly. "Yeah, just like that. See, you're doing just fine."

The newborn fussed a little as he was moved, but the cries quickly faded into soft coos as he settled into his father's arms. A wave of protectiveness swept over Kukui as he looked down at the infant, amazed at how light he was and how much love he felt for this person he'd only known for about fifteen minutes.

"It looks good on you," Burnet said, pulling Kukui out of his trance. He glanced at his wife, who was watching the scene unfold from her bed with a warm and encouraging smile on her face.

"What looks good on me?" Kukui asked, genuinely confused. Burnet laughed.

"Fatherhood," she answered. "He's so lucky to have you as a dad."

"He's even luckier to have you as a mom." Kukui whispered, leaning in to gently kiss her. "I love you so much, Amber."

"I love you too, Makoa. Unfortunately, their moment was suddenly interrupted by their son's shrill cries. For a moment, Kukui worried that he'd done something to upset the newborn before Burnet spoke up, almost as if she had read his mind.

"It's not your fault, Honey," Burnet soothed. "He's probably just hungry." She held out her arms to accept the baby from her husband. Then she unbuttoned her shirt and held the baby up to her breast, where he began cooing softly as he nursed. Kukui let out a contented sigh as he wrapped his arm around Burnet, holding his family close.

* * *

The nurse returned shortly after the baby finished nursing.

"So," she asked, "have we decided on a name for this handsome little boy?"

Kukui froze. They had completely forgotten to pick out a name, it had been on the list of things to do, but he'd decided to make his appearance few weeks earlier than expected. He glanced at Burnet, desperately hoping she had something, but the look on her face told Kukui that she'd forgotten too. Sensing the couple's panic, the nurse chuckled lightly. "It's alright. We'll just label him as "Baby Boy Kukui" for now. Would you like me to take him to the nursery so you two can get some rest?" As much as Kukui wanted to keep the baby in his line of sight forever, he knew Burnet was exhausted and would appreciate some uninterrupted sleep.

"Yes," Kukui answered. "That would be a big help, thank you. We'll try to come up with a name soon."

"No problem," the nurse answered. "Take your time; there's no rush." She paused to carefully take the newborn from Burnet and gently placed him in the bassinet beside the bed. "I'm sure the perfect name for this handsome little guy will come to you once you've both had a little bit of a break." Both parents watched intently as she wheeled their son out of the room and quietly closed the door behind her. Kukui kept his gaze fixated on the closed door for several moments, before turning back to his wife. Burnet had already closed her eyes and sunk down into the pillows behind her with a peaceful smile on her face. Kukui longed to join her, but knew he was too overwhelmed to sleep.

"I'm going to go get something to eat. I'll bring something up for you when I come back," Kukui whispered to his wife. Burnet stirred slightly, but Kukui doubted that she'd actually heard him. He squeezed her hand and lightly kissed her forehead before silently opening the door and stepping out into the hallway.

* * *

The hospital hallway was eerily quiet as Kukui followed the signs to the cafeteria, all the while attempting to convince himself that the emptiness he felt was only hunger. He had no reason to be feeling anything else but joy, right? His wife and child were both safe and healthy, so why did he feel so heavyhearted? Why were his past fears bubbling back up to the surface? Not even five minutes ago he had been grinning from ear to ear while watching Burnet feed their son. Was it normal to feel like this after the birth of a child?

A sign pointing to the nursery caught his eye as he rounded the next corner and he stopped. _I'm going to check on him really quickly. Maybe I'm just worried about him._ Pushing any other possibilities out of his mind, Kukui turned around and headed for the nursery.

As he approached the waiting area, he was surprised to see Melemele's kahuna seated in one of the chairs in the corner of the room.

"Hala?" Kukui asked, approaching his former mentor. The kahuna's smiled widened as he stood up and clapped the younger man on the back before pulling him into a tight embrace.

"Congratulations, Makoa, my boy! I'm so happy for you and Amber!"

"Thanks, Hala, but how did you know we were here?" Kukui asked, once Hala had released him.

"Samson contacted me after you called out of work this morning, and as the island kahuna, I figured I should be here to meet and welcome Melemele's newest resident. He paused. "So I take it everything went well? How's Amber."

"She's fine, exhausted, but resting comfortably, and we have a healthy baby boy," Kukui answered.

"And you? How are you feeling?" Kukui hesitated.

"I-I'm fine, also tired and um... maybe a little overwhelmed, but relieved that everyone is healthy." Hala raised an eyebrow.

"How long have you been here?"

"Almost twelve hours now. It's been a really long day. When did you get here?"

"About six hours ago."

"Six hours?" Kukui asked, extremely surprised that the island kahuna would take so much time out of his day to sit in a hospital waiting room. "You didn't have to, Hala, really, everything's fine."

"I know I didn't have to, but I wanted to, Makoa. You're like family to me, and I wanted to be here in case you needed anything. Also, I can tell that something's bothering you right now and I want you to know that you can tell me anything."

"What are you talking about? I'm fine?"

"I've known you your entire life, my boy. I can read you like a book, and I knew this would be a difficult transition for you considering your past…"

"With all due respect, Hala. Can we not talk about that right now?" Kukui snapped, cutting the older man off before collapsing into the nearest chair, his face in his hands. Hala sat down beside him and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"I understand that these past few months have been an emotionally trying time for you, but trying to hide your emotions isn't going to make dealing with them any easier. And those of us who know you well, like Amber and myself, worry about you, and it hurts us to see you like this." Kukui sighed and lifted his head, wiping the tears in his eyes with the back of his hand.

"I don't know, Hala."

"Don't think too hard, just let it out."

"Well," Kukui took a deep breath. "I guess I've been thinking about my parents a lot lately. My father particularly, but…" Hala nodded.

"Go on, son."

"But also my mother a bit too and my whole childhood, to be honest. I'm not sure I'm ready to be a parent, don't get me wrong, my son is the most amazing person on the planet, but…" Kukui's voice trailed off again. He sighed before continuing. "I keep thinking about how awful my father was, and how I let my mother down, and…"

"I'm going to stop you there," Hala said calmly. "You are not and will never be your father, and you've already proven that on multiple occasions." Your relationship with Ash proves that you inherited your mother's heart." Kukui felt his heart drop even further into his stomach at the mention of Ash. He and Burnet had both struggled with his departure three months prior, but preparing for the baby had distracted them both until now.

"Ash…" Kukui sighed. "God, I wish he was here right now. He just radiates hope and positivity, even after all the crap he's been through."

"He does have quite an effect on people, doesn't he?" Hala remarked. "But you do too. You and Ash are a lot alike. There were many occasions while watching Ash battle or interact with your other students, where I could've sworn I was watching you twelve years ago. You both learned so much from each other. And most importantly, you learned how to love again."

"What do you mean?"

"You were not the same boy when you returned from Kanto after your mother passed." Kukui flinched. "I did what I could to help you overcome your grief, but there was a darkness in your eyes that never fully disappeared. At least not until Ash showed you the light again. Hala stopped the clear his throat, giving Kukui a moment to process the wise kahuna's words.

He wasn't wrong, Kukui had begun taking better care of himself, grew closer to his students, reconnected with Burnet and started a family throughout Ash's stay in Alola. And now, he was gone, and Kukui was slowly slipping back into his old ways.

"Oh my God, Hala, you're right…" Hala chuckled lightly.

"Everything you needed to be a wonderful teacher, husband, and father was inside you all along, it just took the right person to reawaken it. I'm so proud of you, and I know your mother would be too."

"Even though I was too preoccupied with my journey to realize how sick she was? I wasn't there when she was asking for me on her deathbed." Kukui couldn't stop the tears this time. "I failed as her son, I wasn't there when she needed me the most, even after everything she did to protect me from my father." Hala sighed.

You didn't fail her, Makoa, she didn't want to worry you; she was so proud of your accomplishments, and her illness came on extremely quickly. She loved you so much and you were everything to her, and she lives on in you and your son." He paused thoughtfully. "And I don't think I could be any prouder of you than I am now, even if you were my own son." Kukui sighed and wiped away the rest of his tears before attempting a feeble smile.

"Thanks, Hala."

"No problem, my son." Hala replied standing up. "So, why don't we go and visit your son now, hmm? Kukui stood up and let out a huge sigh. "Feeling better?"

"A lot. I really needed to get all of that off my chest."

"Glad to hear it!" Hala said. "So what did you and Amber decide to name your son?"

"We haven't picked one out yet," Kukui said as they walked over to the nursery window. He scanned the row of bassinets in the window. "There he is!" He exclaimed pointing at the last one in the row.

"He looks just like you when I met you for the first time! Like father like son, I suppose!" Hala laughed.

"I guess he does look like me, a little bit. He's got Amber's eyes though."

"So, are you planning on giving him a traditional Alolan name." Hala asked.

"If Amber was Alolan, yes, but we haven't really talked about it. I suppose we should maybe do that now."

"That sounds like a good idea. But, Makoa?"

"Hmm?"

"Promise me you'll get some sleep once his name is finalized? You really need it."

"I'll try. Thank you for everything, Hala."

* * *

Burnet was awake by the time he got back to the room.

"Hey, Honey," he whispered, leaning down to kiss her. "How are you feeling?"

"Much better," she replied. "Though I feel like it's going to be a few months before we can honestly say that we're not exhausted."

"You're probably right." Kuku said sitting down beside the bed. "Do you feel well enough to address the Phanpy in the room?"

"If you're talking about our son's name, I think so. The nurse should be bringing him back any minute."

"Thoughts?"

"I have one that I like, but I didn't know if you wanted our son's name to follow Alolan tradition. It's a family name," she replied.

"I didn't think you had any contact with your family back in Unova?" She sighed.

"Not any of my living family, but growing up, I had a grandfather who made living with my parents a lot less miserable. His name was Oliver."

"Oliver Kukui," Kukui said. "It has a nice ring to it."

"You can do the honors of choosing his middle name, if you want," Burnet said with a smile. Kukui sighed.

"Well, I don't really have any family names for a boy. Although if we ever have a girl, I'd like to name her Aloe after my mother." Burnet nooded.

"Of course, Honey."

"Hmm… What do you think of Kai for his middle name? Kukui asked. "It's a traditional Alolan name that means ocean, and it's also my middle name."

"It's perfect, Honey."

"Just like you," Kukui whispered, gently squeezing her hand, as the door opened, revealing the nurse and the bassinet with their sleeping son. Kukui picked him up and passed him to Burnet.

So, did we pick a name?" The nurse asked.

"We sure did!" Kukui announced. "Oliver Kai Kukui."

"Oliver Kai Kukui," Burnet echoed, lightly kissing the baby's forehead. "Welcome to the world, my beautiful baby boy."

Once the nurse finished filling out the paperwork, she closed the door leaving the new family alone once again. Burnet passed the baby to her husband.

"Hi, Oliver," Kukui whispered. "I'm your daddy, and this is your mommy," he said gesturing to Burnet. "We love you more than anything else in the world, and we will always be there for you." Kukui gently touched Oliver's tiny hand, causing him to grap his father's finger. Burnet laughed as Kukui tried unsuccessfully to free it from the baby's grasp, before giving up. He kissed the top of his wife's head before pulling his family close and finally allowing himself to drift off to sleep.


End file.
